Features Students plunge face first into Lani Lohken-Dahle’s classes and keep coming back for more. Pages Sports Freddie Jones and the Ducks look back on a basketball season to remember. Pages An independent newspaper http://www.dailyemerald.com Wednesday, April 3,2002 Since 1 900 University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon Volume 103, Issue 121 Solar energy Powered by the sun Installed on top of the EMU, three 8 ft by 8 ft solar panels will supply 4,200 watts of power annually, enough to power approximately 28 fridges a year. The panels will channel their power into the EMU’s electrical grid. The cost of the panels will be approximately $20,000, and will be subsidized by Bucks for Ducks. Photo Illustration by Russell Weller Emerald Running on sunshine ■ Bucks for Ducks winners design solar panels for the EMU’s south balcony and are set for installation this month By Kara Cogswell Oregon Daily Emerald The vision of an EMU par tially powered by renew able solar energy — which began last year when two architecture students v^on the $100,000 ASUO Bucks for Ducks contest — is close to be coming a reality. A trio of solar towers, de signed by contest winner Joce lyn Eisenberg and other stu dents from the Ecological Design Center, could be built on the little-used, south-facing EMU balcony adjacent to the Skylight Lounge as soon as this month. The EMU Board ap proved the project last month and construction on the towers is tentatively scheduled to be gin during the annual H.O.P.E.S. Eco-Design Arts Conference, which will be held at the University April 18 to 22. The ASUO sponsored the Ducks for Bucks contest last year to generate student ideas on how to spend $100,000 Turn to Solar, page 3 Candidate may sue over city elections ■Jim Hale charges that some signatures were gathered illegally and calls for uniform standards By Darren Freeman Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Secretary of State’s office is not likely to challenge the candidacy of five city council candidates who filed their election documents in an improp er order, State Elections Division John Lindback said. But one candidate said he might con test the May 21 primary election ballot with a lawsuit — a challenge he might very well win, Lindback said. Ward 5 candidate Jim Hale, who is running against one of the five candi dates in question, scheduled a Tuesday press conference to discuss the possible lawsuit but canceled after rethinking his position. He said he would an nounce his intentions today. If Hale files a suit and is successful, the ballot or the election itself could be altered in court. The controversy began when candi dates David Kelly, Gary Pape, Kevin Wells and Jennifer Solomon filed the required 25 voter signatures with the city recorder’s office before gaining the city’s approval of the signature form. This violated a provision in the city’s < elections manual that requires candi dates to obtain prior approval of signa ture sheets before circulating the forms, Lindback said. But the city recorder’s office, stating that its staff gave candidates inconsis tent advice, accepted the signatures and processed the candidates filings. Pape is running for Ward 5, Wells for Ward 4 and Solomon for Ward 6. Kelly is run ning for Ward 3, the seat representing the University area. Turn to Ballot, page 7 Students campaign to incorporate pledge at graduation The Universityj is considering reintroducing a traditional pledge about graduates’ responsibilities By Kara Cogswell Oregon Daily Emerald Graduating seniors typically make the transition from the college world to the working world with a commence ment ceremony and a handshake as they receive their degrees. Something is missing from that process, say a group of University stu dents. Although graduation is a time for celebration, they want it to also be a time for students to consider how the things they do after college will impact the world. Senior Leona Kassel said that’s why she and about six other students are working to bring the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility back to University commencement. By signing the pledge, which was in corporated into graduation ceremonies at nearly 70 colleges and universities in 2001, students promise “to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences” of any job they consider taking. The pledge began at Humboldt State University in 1987 and was once print ed on the back of University of Oregon graduation programs, said alumna Mary Hudzikiewicz, who is coordinat ing commencement this year. About four years ago, commencement or^an izers stopped printing the pledge, though, because of lack of student in terest, she said. The pledge will be part of graduation this year — but organiz ers are still working out how large a part, she said. Kassel said she sees the pledge as serving “a dual purpose — one to start students thinking about the im pact their jobs will have on the world and also to send a message to busi nesses that students are considering how their jobs will affect society and the environment.” Although students working on the pledge campaign are still planning how they will make the pledge part of graduation this year, they expect to cre ate wallet-sized cards inscribed with the pledge that students can sign, Kas sel said. On the back of the cards will be a list of environmentally and social ly conscious Web sites alumni can visit to reaffirm their commitment, she said. Students who sign the pledge will also receive a green ribbon they can pin to their caps or gowns. Kassel said they would like to have the pledge cards and a letter explaining the purpose of the pledge included in graduation materials the University sends to students. They plan to distrib ute the ribbons and have additional Turn to Pledge, page 3